Greening Skills : UNESCO-UNEVOC Engagements at the COP 23 in Bonn

As part of the recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 23) held in Bonn under the presidency of the Republic of Fiji, global stakeholders engaged in action oriented deliberations to further the global commitment made in the Paris Agreement.

In pursuit of its agenda of Greening TVET and promoting the role of responsively skilled human capital for sustainable and green transitions, UNESCO –UNEVOC organized and participated in thematically oriented sessions as part of the COP 23. Each of these sessions revolved around the distinct challenges and their responses to make global education systems better aligned with the imperatives of Sustainable Development.

9 November 2017, Public Discussion 'Skills Development and Climate Change

UNESCO Pavilion, Bonn Zone

A public discussion round on Skills and Climate Change was organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC in collaboration with the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the ILO, Bangkok. The discussion highlighted the issue of youth unemployment as an important vector and reality for many countries to engage in climate change education. The mechanisms that are in place for bringing the skills agenda in the sustainability debates, as well as how the examples of countries like Germany, and Thailand were explored in the discussion. The short discussion succeeded in concretely analysing the job trends that link climate change agenda with employment realities and how German-supported projects in Germany are contributing to the creation of sustainable VET centres and youth training and certification of qualifications and skills, in the case of displaced youth from climate change-induced migration.

Click here to learn more about Green Jobs, Decent Work and Climate Mitigation.

L to R: Ms. Ken Barrientos (UNESCO-UNEVOC), Mr. Oliver Diehl (BMBF), Ms. Cristina Martinez (ILO), and Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (UNESCO-UNEVOC)

16 November 2017, ‘Green skills: A non-negotiable action agenda for successful climate action’

This session was organized as part of the series of debates during Education Day at the COP23 and discussed a policy guidance framework for designing policies and actions around green economy transition and climate change education. This framework came as a result of a collaborative initiative, the Platform for Advancing Green Human Capital (PAGHC) that includes UNESCO, UNESCO-UNEVOC, ILO, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the French Ministère de la Transition Ecologique et Solidaire. With the national climate action plans not well-articulating the aspect of green skills gaps, this session sought to sensitize the global narrative of the prospects that skills-led approaches to climate change present.

L to R: Dr. Riyad Mucadam (Marshall Islands), Dr. Shyamal Majumdar (UNESCO-UNEVOC), Prof. Charles Hopkins (University of York), and Ms. Olga Strietska-Ilina (ILO).

The session also presented solutions for addressing these gaps through policy and institutional support. These included examples of successful integration and development of skills in the climate action agenda in Korea, Philippines and Marshall Islands. The perspectives of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were represented by Dr. Riyad Mucadam, a former Advisor for climate change to the Government of the Marshall Islands. He highlighted the need for the global climate action narrative to be translated in a manner conducive for TVET sector in these countries, and developing the capacities of the teachers to enable an effective local action.

As part of the discussions in the session, the French Commissioner for Sustainable Development Ms. Laurence Monnoyer-Smith also contributed with a video message.

To learn more about this session, please click here. The detailed policy guidance framework can also be downloaded here.

16 November 2017, High Level Discussion on ‘Uniting for Climate Action’

Meeting Room 6, Bonn Zone.

Ms. Patricia Espinoza - Executive Secretary of UNFCCC and HRH Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco led a high-level panel discussion that brought together environment and education ministers and international organizations to discuss how education can enhance the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The panel included Dr. Shyamal Majumdar Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC, Minister of Education of St. Lucia, Environment Minister of Italy, and other high-ranking officials.

The discussions highlighted the role of education and skills development as a means for enabling effective climate action by implementation and developing skills and professional qualifications that can meet the dynamic demands of both the labor market and the society.

Shyamal Majumdar, Head of UNESCO-UNEVOC speaking as part of the High Level Panel discussion on 'Uniting for Climate Action'

Other sessions organized at the UNESCO Pavilion:

Education and Education for Sustainable Development, both formal and non-formal, was afforded an entire thematic day as part of the Conference on the 16th November 2017. As part of the day’s proceedings, UNESCO co-organized the following events together with UN partners and other organizations.